


Of Owls, Magi, and Djinn

by CapMorgan55



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Exploration, F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Gen, Magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:41:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27750175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CapMorgan55/pseuds/CapMorgan55
Summary: Luz Noceda always wanted to practice magic. One day, she learned she was the latest in a long line of practitioners set to defend the Human Realm from chaos! Only one problem; she stinks! After ending up in the Demon Realm, maybe she can finally make her dreams come true! ...NAH!
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda, Camila Noceda & Luz Noceda, Eda Clawthorne & Camila Noceda
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	Of Owls, Magi, and Djinn

**Author's Note:**

> I recently fell in love with Magi: Labyrinth of Magic, and I have been an absolute fanatic of The Owl House since day one, so I decided, why not bring them together? Except magic, action, hijinks, and maybe something the resembles a cringy imitation of romance! I do not own Magi, or The Owl House, both are the sole property of their individual owners.

"Luz, I hope you can understand why I am frustrated _mija._ " Camila Noceda was not yelling. She didn't have to, Luz was very, _very,_ familiar with her mother's various moods. When you got into trouble as often as she did, you tended to get good at picking up on other's moods, helped you realize when you were in deep doo doo or not. Still, Luz figured it wouldn't be too out of line to broach the subject.

"I'm guessing it was the explosion?" Going by how her mom's eyes tightened up, Luz figured she was right on the money. Also, she slammed her foot on the break, so there's that. As Camila whirled on her daughter, Luz braced for the scolding, knowing it wasn't going to be pretty, not that it ever was.

" _Si,_ the explosion, and the snakes, and the knife, and who could forget the miniature biblical plague?" The fact that Camila hadn't raised her voice even once made it sound all the worse. "Oh, that's right, your classmates did! As did your teachers, and the principal, because I made sure of it. They all think you are just an exceedingly bizarre troublemaker, and nothing more. And apparently, even with all that forgetting, your principal has decided they had had enough." Luz looked down during the mini-speech, she knew that she messed up, a lot, but hearing it all outlined like that still hurt. Her ears pricked up at the end, 'cause that didn't sound like the usual 'Mija, what were you thinking, we must remain secret, you have a great duty, Neh neh neh' that she usually heard after she caused a scene.

"What are you saying?" Luz said, a sinking feeling slowly building in her gut.

"I am saying that Principal Hal has given me an ultimatum. You either attend Reality Check Summer Camp, or you will be expelled." Luz felt a pit open in her stomach at that. She had always gotten in trouble after her mom got done doing her thing, but this was a serious step up. "And before you say anything, you will be attending."

"But Mom-" Luz was panicking a little now, this was going how it usually did, and she did. Not. KNOW. HOW TO DEAL!!

"NO BUTS!" Camila shouted, actually shouted!, at Luz, something that she had only done once before. Luz finally took notice of the tears gently streaming down her mother's cheeks. All her life, Luz had very rarely seen her mother cry. "We are at our wits end Luz! You steal tools that you can't use properly, attempt spells you can't cast, the list goes on and on! When will you get it through your head, you are not a Magi!"

Luz wanted to shout back, to attack, to confront Camila, but, as she watched the tears pour down her mother's face, all the fight fled her.

"...Okay." Luz muttered, feeling defeated, alone.

* * *

Magi; those once tasked with choosing Kings to lead the world to a new fate, alongside the mighty Djinn and the Magicians who followed them, now the leaders of the various mystic orders who were sworn to safeguard the world against chaos and evil of the supernatural variety. For as long as she had been aware of what those strange glowing birds she saw everywhere she went actually were, Luz had dreamed of joining one of the orders, fighting for hope, peace, and justice, just like her favorite book character, Azura, the Good Witch!

"Now remember, learn all you can, and apply it as best you can next year. We do not need nor want any further incidents."

Learning how to balance checkbooks and appreciate public radio? Barf. Still, Luz gave what she hoped was a comforting grin to her worrying mother. This was gonna suck, no question, but at least her mom would worry less, right?

"Yeah mom, I got it." Luz half-heartedly chuckled, putting up a tough front for her mother.

"Also, I think it might be time for you to... let go of Azura." Camila said, knowing this was going to be a tough sell. Her daughter was many things, and stubborn over her interests was definitely one of them. She still didn't know how the girl had managed to sneak a moose into the house when she was four after she told her she couldn't have a pet, and she was almost certain she never would.

"...What?" Luz asked flatly, a note of hurt just barely audible. Camila knew how much those books meant to Luz, she did, but she was asking this anyway.

"Sweetie, I hate to ask this of you, I really do, but you need to move on from this! Magic is not like your stories. It is dangerous, and the good guy doesn't always win. I know this is a hard decision, but I think this will be good for you." Camila spoke softly, achingly aware of how much this would hurt Luz, but resolute in her decision. _'This is for the best.'_

With a heavy heart, Luz pulled out her beloved Azura number one, and walked over to the trash. With a quick look back at Camila, who gave a short nod in return, she dropped the book in. As she walked back to her mom, she felt a touch on her shoulder, looking up to see her mother's sympathetic gaze.

"I know this is hard sweetie, but trust me. This is for the best." Camila wished that she believed that, but all the nearby orders were fed up with Luz's antics. All, that is, except for **him.** The fact that that monster had taken an interest in her little girl and she could do nothing about it churned her stomach. The fact that he was her founder was something that made her want to scream to the heavens! How could she have missed the signs? Shaking off her dark thoughts, Camila pulled into her car, shooting Luz one last smile before pulling onto the road. Tightening her hands around the wheel, she steadfastly ignored the image in her head, of her and two other girls, both with wild manes of red hair, and the ache in her heart, at what could have been. _'It's for the best. It HAS to be.'_

* * *

Luz gave a half-hearted wave as her mom drove away. Once she was sure her mom couldn't see her, however, she dove for the trash can. "Where is it, where is it!?" As she frantically tore through the garbage, she couldn't spot even the slightest trace of her beloved book. Just as she was about to scream, she heard a soft hoot. Jerking her head up, she took in the honestly baffling sight before her; a tiny brown owl, holding a sack in its little talons, dropping her Azura book inside. "Tiny trash thief!" Sue her, she was stressed out, she deserved to be a little incoherent right now! As the owl took into the air, quickly establishing a lead over her, Luz took off like a bullet.

As Luz chased after the owl into the woods, she barely paid her surroundings a thought. She ignored the darkening thicket, the increasingly messy forest floor, littered with assorted junk and lost goods, she even ignored the ominous, run down shack with the mysteriously glowing door- wait what? As she saw the owl dive into the what she was sure was a portal of some sort, every instinct in Luz's body screamed at her to run as far and as fast in the opposite direction as she could. Ehhh, she already got this far, why not go all the way? Entering a mysterious portal with no clue where it would lead or what was waiting on the other side was far from the most dangerous thing she had ever done (that honor went to deliberately insulting **him** ), and it sure beat the heck out of Camp Reality Check! With those last thoughts rushing through her head, Luz plunged into the portal.

* * *

As Luz stumbled through the portal, she was a little surprised to still be in one piece. As she took in her surroundings, she wasn't sure how long she would stay that way. "Wow. And I thought I had a lot of weird stuff, but this? This is impressive." As she strode forward, she took notice of the fact that she was in some kind of tent, and that, wherever she was, was currently rather busy. The various odds, ends, and assorted nicknacks surrounding her made her think she ended up either in the base of some kind of hoarder, or a pawn shop owner. *Shudder*. She really hoped she ended up with a hoarder.

"So what ya got for me this time, hm?" Okay, salesman, er, salesWoman it is. 'Cause that was a woman's voice, a sassy one at that. As she peeked outside the tent, she took in the bizarre sight before her. Creatures, monsters, and assorted oddities of all shapes and sizes wandered around what appeared to be a medieval open-air market. What really caught her, though, was the woman manning the stand directly in front of her. Tall, thin, almost guant actually, wearing a rich red dress, stylishly torn at the bottom, a mane of grey hair barely bound by the scarf she wore over her head. Oh, and she was rummaging through the same bag that owl had been carrying, pulling things out to inspect only to throw them away, a lot of which looked plenty valuable to her, only for her to start cheering as she put on slinky-eyeball gag glasses of all things! "Now this will make me rich!" Yeah, no. Okay, it might make her reach here, maybe, but otherwise, no. Luz tensed up as the lady pulled out her Azura book. "And this... this'll make good kindling." Yep, that was not happening. Nobody burns books on her watch, nobody!!

"Sorrythat'smineIreallygottagetbacknowokayBYE!!" With that, Luz grabbed her book out of the lady's arms and took off running. With any luck she'd cross the portal and be home free- scratch that, the portal just folded up. Aaaannddd the lady from before was standing in front of her, looking more than a little intimidating. Luz was about to do a little fast talking, wouldn't be the first time, but she finally was able to take note of something; something that chilled her to the bone. The woman in front of her, the rukh within her, was stained black. She may not have been the most knowledgeable when it came to that sort of thing, but usually, the only people who had rukh like that, were that type who no one would disagree were headed to the bad place.

"You're not going anywhere." Yep, she's out. And with that thought, Luz sidestepped the still-unnamed woman, taking off into the woods. As she raced through the trees, it became increasingly clear that where ever she had ended up, was nowhere on earth. After all, trees don't usually eat wildlife, do they? As she pulled up to the upcoming cliff, Luz finally took the time to take in her environment and gather her thoughts. Sprawled out before her was something out of a fantasy novel. What else could you call the haphazard mixing of modern, medieval, and biological that was the town, borderline city, lying before her? Not to mention the rukh. Oh djinn, the RUKH!! Whatever was up with this place, it was bad, really bad. Each and every rukh she spotted, was casting far too dark of light. Even the ratio of fallen and non-fallen rukh was off; they seemed to change from one to the other even as she observed them. Yeah, this was gonna be the source of her nightmares tonight, no question. Feeling a bit whimsical, she called out to the little fairy fluttering up to her.

"Well little fairy, you here to tell me this is all a dream, or that I'm some kinda chosen one?" She joked. She was expecting any number of things; the fairy suddenly opening its way too wide mouth and demand her skin was not one of them. With a shout of alarm, she swatted it to the ground. She was just about to start panicking when a shadow fell over her. She wasn't proud of what happened next. "AHH DON'T EAT ME!! YOU CAN HAVE MY SKIN JUST TAKE IT!!"

"Eat you?" Wait, she knew that voice, it was that lady with the janky rukh! She was just about to run for it, when Luz took another look. The lady's rukh looked... fine? It was still a shade darker than ideal, but it was far from the tarred thing she saw earlier, now shining a fierce, passionate red, emitting a soft, purple light. "Why would I eat... A POTENTIAL CUSTOMER!!" Oh right, saleswoman.

* * *

After she dragged Luz back to her stand, the strange lady went into what Luz thought of her usual routine, not too different from the usual fast talkers back home, albeit noticeably more lively, as opposed to the sleaze she usually associated with those types. But still, it took her a lot not to bust a gut laughing, seriously, a 'severed human foot,' and a 'shadow box that reflects only sadness!?' This lady might be good at what she did, but it was clear as day she had no clue what she actually had, or it would if it weren't for the faint swirl of rukh around her, radiating amusement and anticipation. She knew more about this stuff than she said, and was just waiting for her reaction. Well, two could play that game. She spotted a bowl labeled "Human Candy" (it didn't actually contain any candy), and withdrew two batteries. "That's not all it can do." She allowed her amusement to color her voice, it wasn't often she got to pull a fast one over someone and not get in trouble for it! "Observe!" As she slotted the batteries into place, she switched the miniature tv on, causing a cringy, disco-style exercise video to start playing. Suddenly, the stand was swamped by curious onlookers, each looking to spend their hard, and not so hard, earned cash!

"I'll pay 100 snails for the talking box!"

"I'll pay 200!!"

"Can I eat the little man inside!?"

"What did you say your name was?" The amused tone it was delivered with did nothing to hide the interest the lady was aiming her way. Well, this should be interesting.

"The name's Luz. Luz Noceda!"

"Well Luz, I gotta say, that was pretty clever, for a human." Luz might have taken offence at that, if it weren't for the lack of malice held in the rukh surrounding the stranger. Was she a stranger? Ehh, she's a stranger until Luz learns her name.

"Strange thing to say to another human." Yeah, she was playing along, what could she say? This was getting good, dang it!

"Oh dear child," Dear? No one called her that except her mom, and she only did it when she was exhausted! "I'm not like you. I'm Eda the Owl Lady, the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles." Okay, so she had a name for where she was, and witches were real. Witches were real. WITCHES WERE REAL!!! It took her way more effort than she wanted to admit not to start fangirl squealing. The sight of the pointed ears Eda had been concealing under her scarf, albeit unintentionally, were enough to snap her out of lala land.

"A witch?" Okay, she managed to keep her voice even, and she managed not to fall over so, bonus!

The lady, Eda, nodded, the nearby rukh radiating smugness at her perceived awe. Pssshh! She was cool, but it would take a lot more than that to get anything resembling awe out of her. "Indeed. I am respected, feared-" Before she could get too far into her monologue, Eda was cut off by her stand being smashed by a heavy blow.

"Busted!" The hooded figure who, judging by the official looking uniform, was some kind of guard. She had been at a black-market stand. Figures.

"-Run, it's a guard!" The sudden panicked screaming was a pretty big red flag as to how these guards operated. Even people regularly attended a blackmarket tended not to react like this unless they had a very good reason to do so, and every incentive not to was taken off the table. So, yeah. Red flags all around. Plus, the rukh on these guys were seriously dark.

"Eda the Owl Lady, you are under arrest for the misuse of magic, and demonic misdemeanors." The bloodthirsty undertone to the rukh made it more than clear that something was up, but, survival first. Luz carefully took a step back, trying to minimize herself from the guards view. "You are hereby ordered to come with me to the Conformatorium!" Okay, that name was sending up more than a few bad vibes, if the absolute flood of despair filled rukh coming down were any indication.

The look of open contempt and annoyance on Eda's face raised Luz's estimate of her by several notches, it wasn't as easy as people thought to be genuinely unaffected by something like this. The bloodlust rolling off those guards was seriously unnerving. "Would you guys quit following me around? I haven't done anything!" Hmm... partially true, she do something, but not enough to justify this response eh?

The guard turned her way, and grabbed Luz by the wrists. "And you're coming too..." The fudge!? "For fraternizing with a criminal!" Okay, she had read a lot of fanfics about these types of situations, and that was a bunch of bull! Still, no reason to pull out Mr. Stabby Mark ii _just_ yet. "Wh-What? That's so not cool!!" _'Easy Luz, keep a lid on your temper, no matter how much better these guys would look covered in acid sprinkles!'_ A sigh cut off Luz's train of thought, which was probably a good thing, considering how close she was to drawing out her "Emergency Measures."

Eda was getting way too old to deal with this crap, but anyone who heard her say those words was a liar and soon to be dead. Still, this wasn't the first time she had to pull a fast one over the Guards. Probably wouldn't be that last time either. That human girl sure was interesting though. Not just anyone could keep their composure when those sweaty goons that called themselves the elite got their mitts on them, but Eda had to admit, she could fake it with the best of them. Now to get away from these morons... "Fine, just let me get my staff." And with that, Eda yanked said staff out and clocked the nearest guard over the head; the fact that said guard was the one holding the kid was just a coincidence, of course. Pulling the kid, (Luz, was it?) onto the back of her staff, Eda was about to take off, when she realized she still had her stuff lying around, and like hell was she leaving it to those idiots to confiscate! With a snap of her fingers, the tent, goods, and table all folded up into a snack that she deftly slung over her shoulders. "Whoops. Can't forget this. Follow me, human!"

It was official, Eda was insane. Of course, Luz wasn't exactly all there herself, so who was she to judge. "This is awesome! Still, I should be getting back. My mom is going to kill me if I die here!" That seemed to amuse Eda, if the rukh were anything to go off of. It was weird, normally she could barely read the rukh at all, but now they were coming through clear as day!

"Ha! I won't let 'em hurt you. A human like you is much more valuable to me alive than dead." And like Eda was letting those thugs take in a kid when she could stop them and get away with it! _'Here's hoping King is in a good mood. This'll all go smoother if the little fuzzball can keep his ego in check.'_

Okay, so the strange lady who stole her book, or had it stolen more like, needed her for something. Eh, it's not like she had anything important to do. "What are you-" Luz started, only to get cut off as Eda swept her onto the staff, taking into the air. "Wha!?" Okay, so the staff could fly. What Luz wouldn't give for a carpet right now, much more sensible way to travel! The loud whoop Eda let out did nothing to alleviate her rising tension.

The guard that had grabbed her let out a growl of frustration. "You won't get away with this, Owl Lady! Yeah, all right. You did. You got away with it. She got away with it everybody! Typical." If Luz wasn't presently panicking in her head, she would have laughed her ass of at that.

Eda raised a brow at her passenger. The girl who held her ground after being snagged by some of the nastiest thugs on the isles, was currently trembling like a leaf, eyes shut as tight as they could get, holding onto the staff in a death grip. Ah well, not everyone handles their first staff flight well, not that she had that problem (carefully ignoring the memories of her and Lily shrieking their heads off). Still better to snap the kid out of it. "You can open your eyes now, human."

Luz was ashamed. She wasn't afraid to admit it. She had let herself be weak in front of someone who was clearly stronger than her. Still, at least she didn't sound angry, which was a nice change. With a whimper, Luz cracked open her eyes, gasping at what she saw. The ground blurred underneath her, as she, or rather the staff she was riding, kept picking up speed, somehow not blasting her with gs. "Flying staffs, crazy monsters, you're a witch- What is this place?" She had to know. This place could hold all the answers she was seeking. If not, still better than summer camp.

Eda chuckled at the girl. Kid sure knew how to keep up a face! Eda wondered what she went through to figure out how to do that. Still, it wasn't perfect, and Eda was an ~~old~~ experienced hand at seeing a person's true intentions, even if she slipped up now and again. This girl had experienced way more than most kids her age, but still had a lot of naivety about the world and people, even if she didn't believe it. Ah well, better give her the spiel now before she hears it from someone untrustworthy, she herself was mostly trustworthy, thank you very much! "This is the Boiling Isles! Every myth you humans have is caused by a little bit of our world leaking into yours." To punctuate her statement, a griffin soared over head, screeching up a mess of spiders.

"A griffin! I knew there was another breed, I KNEW IT!!" The sheer vindication Luz felt at the sight of the strangely majestic beast was something she would cherish for years to come. Still, she didn't fully bye that statement about the myths, but considering how weird this place was, it probably had more truth than lie, if not totally true.

Eda raised an eyebrow at that little comment, but didn't dwell on it. "Yep. Griffins, vampires, giraffes-"

Luz had to cut in there. It would explain a little population discretion in the history books, but still... "Giraffes?"

Eda blinked, a little thrown off by the focus of that little tidbit, but eh, she could run with it. "Oh, yeah. We banished those guys. Bunch of freaks." As she hopped off her staff, Eda heard a little yelp behind her. Turning, she saw Luz clutching her disembodied hand. Not again, that's the sixth time this month! "Oops. That happens sometimes." Eda really needed to get a better handle on that before something got outta hand.

Luz was trembling. Not from fear, like before, but from excitement. Why wouldn't she? After all... "This place. IS AWESOME!! I mean sure, this might not be the PG fantasy world I've dreamed of since I could read and remember things at the same time, but still magic? Monsters? ADVENTURE!? Heck yeah, sign me up! Hey, you mind if I crash here for the summer?"

Eda blinked. She raised a finger, lowered it, and blinked again. Then, she started to laugh. Not her usual sardonic laugh she reserved for those who had embarrassed themselves in some way in front of her; this was her real laugh, the passionate, wild laugh that had echoed through the halls of Hexside as a child. This kid, this wild, crazy kid that reminded her more and more of herself with each passing minute, was something special. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Ahhh... kid, I haven't laughed like that in a long time. I don't have a lot in life, but that, that was something! Tell ya what, you do somethin' for me, and you can stay here as long as you want. We got a deal?" Maybe this was crazy, but Eda was sure this was a good idea, something that didn't happen to often these days. With that, she stretched out a hand, waiting.

Luz was conflicted. On one hand, Eda was offering to let her stay, she just needed to do something for her first. On the other hand, she laughed at her, which Luz did not like. As she stared at the outstretched hand, she made her decision. Mustering as much enthusiasm as she could, which was more than a little, she shouted "You gotta deal!" With the deal sealed, Luz and Eda strolled up to what had to be the strangest house Luz had ever seen. Still impressive, but definitely strange. After all, who seriously had an Owl head door knocker? Looking around the clearing the house was located in, Luz had to ask. "Aren't you worried about those guards finding you?" She didn't want to crash at her new hideout just to be hauled off to jail in a week. The cocky look Eda shot her was more reassuring than it probably had any right to be.

"Nope. My house has a state-of-the-art defense system." Luz doubted anything on the Isles could be considered state of the art in any sense other than maybe the magical, but still, she leaned in to look at the door knocker. Nothing out of the ordinary so far- did this thing just blink?

"Hoot Hoot!" The _thing_ screeched in what was easily the most annoying voice she had ever heard. As it somehow stretched its way out of the door, a long, snaky tube following behind it. It took a lot more than Luz would ever admit to not draw Mr. Stabby Mark ii on the thing right then and there. "Password, please! Aah!" Oh good, Eda managed to shut it up. True, she did it by shoving her fingers in the things eyes, but still. At least it stopped talking. And here comes the guilt. Eh, she'll focus on that later, it looks like Eda's starting to talk again.

"We got no time for this, Hooty. Let us in." Eda was annoyed, which wasn't unusual when you dealt with Hooty as much as she had. Normally, she would have at least pretended to play along with the house demon, but she didn't have the time or the patience for that today.

"All right, all right! Geez! You never want to have any fun! Ow! Hoot!" The thing, Hooty apparently, proceeded to vomit itself open, allowing Luz to look into her soon-to-be hideout for the summer.

"Welcome to..." With a snap of her fingers, all the lights in Eda's home flashed on. Or rather, all the lamps in what Luz assumed was the living room lit. "The Owl House..." Luz couldn't quite contain the shocked gasp that escaped her. After all, Eda had a serious flair for the dramatic, and it was hitting all the fantasy buttons in Luz's head. Though, the assorted junk piled literally everywhere detracted a little from her sense of excitement. Hard to get excited over what she was pretty sure were a used pair of underwear. "...where I hide away from the pressures of modern life. Also the cops. Mm, also ex-boyfriends." As Eda chuckled at was apparently a currently inside joke, Luz took a moment to look around. She had to admit, she liked what she saw.

"This place is beautiful! Do you live here all alone?" The amused look Eda shot Luz told her that wasn't the case. Welp, better brace herself for whatever was about to come down those stairs.

"-Actually, I do have a roommate." _'And here's hoping he doesn't blow this. Aw, who am I kidding, there's no way this kid'll be able to resist.'_

*THUD*

*THUD*

*THUD*

Eda was thrown off a bit over the surprisingly heavy footfalls. King wasn't anywhere near that heavy! "Who dares intrude upon I," The deep ominous voice clued her in immediately. Of course, Hooty! "The King of Demons!" With that, King finally came into view, striking what would have been a pretty intimidating pose. Just one problem; King barely came up to Luz's knees, was cute as a button, was wearing a bathing cap and towel, and holding a rubber duck in his fist.

*SQUEAK~!*

With that, Luz's resolve cracked like an egg. Whatever resistance she had managed to build up over the years to cute things disappeared in an instant. In a flash, she had scooped up King into her arms, cooing up a storm. "Ay, que lindo! Eda, he's so cute! Who's a widdle guy? Who's a widdle guy? Is it you? Is it you?" Seeing the human gushing over King, it took everything Eda had not to collapse to the floor laughing.

"NO! I don't know who your little guy is! Eda, who is this monster!?" The genuine, albeit unnecessary, distress in King's voice was enough to calm Eda down. Better move in before the kid popped him.

"Oh, this Luz, the human. She's here to help us with our little... situation." Not like the kid needed to know just yet. Plus, it would make King happy.

"Oh. Hooray!" That little cheer almost set Luz off again, but the odd tone of Eda's statement held her attention. She needed answers yesterday.

"Wait, wait, wait. I don't like the sound of this 'situation'." If they wanted her to do something illegal, they better have a seriously good reason, or she was bustin' kneecaps!

Eda took a deep breath at that. _'Time to spin the story, and here's hoping she buys it.'_ "Just... let me explain." Drawing a spell circle in the air, she let the illustrations roll. "King was once a mighty king of demons, until his crown of power was stolen, and he became... this." _'Please buy it, please buy it, please.'_ Understandably, Luz was a bit dubious, especially with how adorable King was.

"You mean this little bundle of joy?" Luz was laying it on a little thick, she knew, but, if they were serious, she couldn't not help. Plus, it sounded like a blast! Odds are, she was going to agree either way.

Okay, so Eda had to go for the tough sell. Ugh. "The crown is being held by the evil Warden Wrath and locked behind a magical force field that only a human can break through- a human like you! If you help us retrieve the crown, you can crash here until the summer is over, and send you back to your realm. So whaddya say?" Seeing the pensive look on Luz's face, Eda decided to pull out the big guns. Specifically, she pulled out King. "Plus, who would say no to this cute little face?"

That comment was enough to set King to struggling in protest. "NO! Please don't encourage her! Aah!" By the way Luz's arms visibly twitched, Eda knew she had one.

Better give her one last push though, just to be sure. " I mean, we're kinda your only option."

Luz hated to admit it, but, barring returning and facing the hellish boredom that was summer camp, they were only option. Aaannnddd it wasn't like she actually had a problem with any of this. "So I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"Nope." And with that, Eda instantly started moving to go. Aw well, worst comes to worst, Luz could just slip away at the last minute. "Now, we've got no time to lose!"

*SQUEAK~!*

The sudden squeak pulled on Luz's admittedly short attention span. "Soon, Mr. Ducky, we will drink the fear of those who mocked us!" Dang it, she was already getting attached!

Welp, she was in this for the long haul, might as well make the most of it. "Where are we going anyway?"

"Somewhere super fun!" Eda's rukh reeked of humor and lies.

* * *

*CRAAASSHH!!!*

The tremendous roar of thunder, despite the completely clear sky, really helped to highlight where Luz was currently at. A massive prison, ominous, deadly, and swarming with gods. Oh, and it was coated peak to ground in fallen rukh. With a flat look, Luz turned to Eda. "You lied. I knew you were lying, and I came anyway." She groaned and threw her face into her hands as Eda laughed.

As Eda felt her laughter subside, she decided to throw the human a bone. Also, she would tell her something about where they were. "The Conformatorium. A place for those considered unsuitable for society." The shock and rage in Luz's gaze as she whirled on Eda honestly unnerved her, as was how it quickly shifted to sorrow. Just as the girl was about to question that statement, her eyes were drawn to a wanted poster on the nearby pillar.

"Wow, they sure got the hots for you!" Luz had to admit, the huge amount of zeroes was certainly eye catching, and the poster honestly looked more like a portrait, it was so realistic. If it weren't for her already deciding the guards were jerks, Luz might've been tempted for the reward herself! ...NAH!

Eda took a look at the poster. Dangit, they still hadn't raised her bounty! Ah well, another one for the collection. With that thought, she stuffed it into her hair. "Yep, but we were never caught because we're too slippery!" And she was proud of that, thank you very much! She had never been caught, and if she had anything to say about it, she never would!

It was at this point King decided to join the conversation. "Just try to catch me when I'm covered in grease. I'm a squirmy little fella." Of that, Luz had no doubt; if anything, it made him cuter, not that she would say that out loud. "Aah! You and I will sneak up to the top of the tower, where they're holding my crown!" Luz still had some doubts about the veracity of what they were doing, but she was having so, whatevs.

"And I'm going to make sure the Warden's distracted!" With that, Eda started to construct the spell that would lift King and Luz to the top.

While this was going on, something occurred to Luz. "Will I need a disguise?" Luz gasped, her inner spy geek (she had a lot of different inner geeks okay?) rearing its head.

"Uhh..." Eda didn't know how to process that.

With a dramatic flourish, Luz popped up the back of her hood, revealing a pair of cat ears set into it. "I've been waiting so long to use this." She proceeded to flap the fake ears, before baring her hands in an imitation of paws. "Meow, meow."

"It's hideous." That little quip from King was enough to get Eda's head back on track.

Eda was never going to let the girl forget about this. Assuming, you know, they survived and all. Hmm... maybe she should mention how potentially lethal this trip could be... nah! "Oh, you'll fit right in. Hang on tight!" With that, she deployed the lifting spell. "Woah!" Gotta admit, she still wasn't used to this spell in practice. She mostly flew. Plus, if the way Owlbert was hooting was any indication, he didn't like it anymore than she did, probably less at that. With that, she hopped onto the staff, and took flight, no reason to be stuck on that thing any longer than she had to. "Meet you guys at the top of the tower!"

* * *

As Luz ascended through the air, she marveled over how similar this was to some of the carpets she had used in the past. She honestly couldn't wait to figure this one out for herself! As the top of the tower got closer, she prepared to jump. Spotting the ledge she and King would enter, she braced, and lept.

*THUD*

Having the wind knocked out of her wasn't anything new to Luz, even if it had been awhile since it had happened. Still, having all the air forced out of you by crashing chest first into a stone wall was a new one. She just barely managed to get her hands up on the ledge when King made his presence known. "Ha-ha! Cat's don't do that!" How he had managed to get up there before her, she didn't know. What she did know was that he was noticeably less cute when he was gloating. Actually... he was still cute, but in an annoying gremlin way, instead of the respect craving munchkin way. With a gasp, she hauled herself up and over, shooting a quick glare at the egotistical demon. _'Welp, time to get that crown and get outta this place!'_ Seriously, she had never seen so many black rukh in one place before! If it weren't for the light that all rukh, fallen or otherwise, gave off, she was sure she'd be blind.

As she walked on, she took note of the atmosphere. Everywhere she turned, the whole place reeked of despair. Seriously, what did they do here, commit murder on the regular!? As she followed after an increasingly antsy King, she took note of three prisoners up ahead. One, a dark haired, darker skinned woman with what looked like fangs peeking out of her mouth, vampire maybe? The second, A blue-skinned ogre-like creature with multiple eyes. The last, a tiny little thing that looked like a head had spontaneously grew arms and legs, with the biggest nose she had ever seen. Suddenly, the maybe-vampire took notice of her. "Hey, cat lady! How'd you get out of your cell?" Normally Luz wouldn't talk to prisoners, but she had some time to kill.

"Oh, I'm not a cat. Also, not a criminal." The smug comment King sent her way didn't help.

The despondent look she got from the prisoner honestly tugged at her heart strings. Why was she such a bleeding heart again!? "Neither are we. The warden just likes to lock up people who don't fit in." That, that hit Luz. "Like, I write fanfics of food falling in love. I like food, I like love... Just let me write about it!" The frustration in her voice was something intimately familiar to Luz. After all, she felt herself every day.

"I like food, and I love love! Plus, fanfics rule." The beaming grin she got at that was feeling real nice.

At this, the second prisoner turned her way. Then, for some reason, he popped out one of his eyes. She would have been freaked out, but she had already experienced Eda's hand. "I'm here because I like to eat my own eyes." With that said, he gulped down the eye he was holding. The socket it came out of rumbled and grew a new eye.

"So what? It doesn't look like it hurts you, and they grow back. You do you man!" He honestly started to tear up at that. Wow, had no one ever been nice to these guys, like, ever? That was... beyond sad.

The last prisoner stood and started to... speechify. "We are agents of fwee expwession! They will never siwence us!" The amused look the fanfic-vamp sent said that this was normal.

"Yeah, she's big into conspiracy theories." 

"The world is a simuwation! We are but pwaythings for a higher being!"

Luz gave a little chuckle at that. These guys weren't but they were just... "Weird. Wait. These aren't crimes. None of you guys actually did anything wrong!" She finally took a look at their rukh. Each of them shown with sorrow, pain, a tiny bit of hope, but not an ounce of malice. "You're all just a bunch of weirdos. Just like me." And she was a weirdo. She had no filter, not really. Her interests ranged from the fringe but mundane, to the flat out eccentric and macabre. No one had ever really given her a chance. Well, **he** had. No one had given these guys a chance. She felt something wet roll down her face. Great, now she was crying.

*THUD, THUD*

Heavy thuds, like those she had heard before she met King were coming her way. And she didn't think the source was a surprisingly cuddly demon this time. As the thuds got closer, the prisoners became more and more distressed. Finally fanfic-girl told her what's up: "It's Warden Wrath! Hide!" With that piece of very sound advice, Luz ducked into the nearest alcove. She looked on, a chill building in her heart as she took in the sight of the titanic brute coming around the bend. His rukh looked dipped in ink, and she didn't think he was going through whatever was up with Eda. She holds in a shocked gasp. A swarm of fallen rukh draped across him like a cape. Whatever was up with this guy, he was seriously bad.

"I Can Hear You." The deep heavily growl of his voice was frightening in a way she didn't think she could feel anymore. To her shame, Luz let out a soft whimper, before clapping a hand over her mouth. "Just what are you fools whispering about?" Even that simple sentence contained more rage and hate than she had ever felt before. Suddenly, a familiar poster slipped in front the massive Warden. He let out a snarl at the sight. "Ah. The Owl Lady. I'll get my hands on her soon enough." With that said, he crushed the poster in his grip.

In a fit of what was either bravery or idiocy, the conspiracy theorist, who Luz had decided to just call Tiny Nose, spoke up. "Fight against the oppwessor! We will wesist! We will conquer! We will never be afwaid of you you old cweep!" At that moment, Wrath unexpectedly opened up Tiny's cell. Shocked at the development, Tiny rushed out in joy. "Hooway! I'm Fwee!" That was as far as she got before Wrath grabbed her in his massive fist, squishing her like a living stress ball.

As he easily and nonchalantly crushed and relaxed his grip on the tiny being within his hand, Wrath turned his gaze back to the others. "Let this be a lesson to you all. There is no place in society if you can't fit in." With his piece said, the colossal brute marched off, Tiny still held in his grasp. And just like that, the previously lightened mood plummeted back into despair.

Luz was having none of it. "Don't worry, I'll get you out!" Like hell Luz was letting someone rot in a cell when they hadn't done anything! With that, Luz rushed over to the same switch Wrath had pulled earlier, yanking with all her might. It didn't budge an inch. "No! Curse you, weak nerd arms!" Just as she was about to go again, she was stopped by the shaking heads of the prisoners.

The writer looked her right in the eyes, the hope from before completely extinguished, giving her soft, sad smile. "Just get out of here while you can kid. Enjoy freedom for us."

With a heavy heart, Luz marched on, locking eyes with Eda up ahead. "Hey. I just checked. The warden is distracted torturing some tiny creature." Oh Tiny. "He won't be coming around here anytime soon."

With a bolt of impatience, King hurled himself at the massive doors, eager to reach the supposed treasure on the other side. "My crown! It's close! I can sense its power!" Any other time, Luz would have gushed over the site, but not now. She was to sad.

"Aw, he gets so cute when he's thirsty for power." Eda looked like she was trying to start up a conversation, but Luz wasn't in the mood.

As Luz marched forward, she stared hard at the admittedly impressive doors, the anger she left bubbling up inside. Turning to Eda, she decided to vent a little of what she was feeling. "It's not fair that they're all in here. They just want to be themselves. Why does everyone think that being a weirdo is so bad!?" With one last shout of anger, she threw her fist forward, the door reeling back and coming loose at the blow. At the sight of the open door, King took off running inside, his fervor unable to be contained any longer.

With a sigh, Eda lent her two cents to what she was seeing was going to quickly become a fiasco. "Come on, before he hurts himself." At the zapping sound and ensuing yelp, she walked up to a lightly smoking King, eyebrow raised. "We have a human, remember?"

The sheepish chuckle he gave made Luz feel the tiniest bit better. As Luz marched into the chamber, she felt something cold and slimy try to cling to her before sliding off. Weird. As she looked around for anything that could be considered a crown, she noticed the huge amount of junk, almost as much as what she had seen at the Owl House, crowded everywhere. Looking up, she took note of the sight of a pedestal, crown placed within. As she got closer, she was dumbfounded at what she saw; "Is that?" And it was, a Burger Queen crown, no different from any other that you got when you ordered the kiddy meal.

Lifting the small cardboard toy up, she walked forward before being nearly bowled over by an ecstatic King. "Yes! I can feel my powers returning! You, nightmare creature!" He turned and pointed at a bunny plushie. "I shall name you Francois, and you shall be a minion in my army of darkness. HA-HA!!" With a joyful cry, he began dancing around the room, ordering random objects, usually stuffed animals, to bow to his power.

Luz turned to Eda, feeling, well, a lot. She was admittedly touched at the sight of the adorable demon happy. She was angry that she had essentially risked her life for a toy. But most of all, she was tired, and sad, from the all the pain that saturated every inch of this place. "That crown doesn't give him any powers, does it?" She already knew the answer, but she really wanted to hear it.

The look of tired kindness and patience that touched Eda's face as she watched King play was familiar to Luz, she saw it every time her mami looked at her when she got in trouble. "Uh, no. Oh, look at us, Luz. King and I don't have much in this world, but we have each other. So if that dumb crown is important to him, it's important to me." It took a lot for Luz not to start crying at that. It was so sweet, she was genuinely worried of getting diabetes. The proud, strong look Eda shot her, like nothing could stop her, it was something that no one had ever shown her before. Not even Mami. "And besides, us weirdos have to stick together, you know? Well, we owe you one. Now, let's get out of here before the warden finds us and loses his head."

"Too late." The heavy growl Luz had heard before spoke up, accompanied by an axe blade ripping through Eda's neck. Luz wouldn't deny it, she screamed her head off. Only the sight of the very much healthy rukh kept her from completely breaking down.

The disembodied head of Eda blinked before shouting, "OW! I hate it when that happens." With that, Luz screamed again.

"Eda! Are you okay!?" Yeah, Luz was not sure how she was handling this so well, but like hell was she gonna bail on one of the few people who gave a damn about her!

Eda(s head) turned to her before answering. "Yeah. This just happens when you get older."

Luz gave her a deadpan look. "I'm pretty sure it doesn't, least not without magic involved." That said, Wrath stepped forward, his guards already pinning Eda's struggling body to the floor, before ripping Eda out of Luz's grasp with one hand, and picking up King's crown with the other, ignoring King's outrage. "Finally, I have you cornered, Eda the Owl Lady." He then proceeded to burn up King's crown, causing King to burst into tears at his presumptive loss of his powers. "My guards could never get you, but I knew if I took your pet's toy, you'd come running." The dark anticipation filling the rukh around him made Luz sick to watch. Whatever was going through his head, it wasn't pretty.

"What do you want from me? I've never actually broken any of your stupid laws... in front of you." Pfft, there was the Eda Luz knew, bold as brass, and having absolutely no F's to give about whatever danger she might be in.

Wrath leaned in, that horrible anticipation building. "I want you... to go out with me." He said, whipping out a bouquet of flowers. Yeah, Luz had officially no idea what was going on any more. The cheers of support from the guards only added to her slowly growing headache. "You've always eluded our capture. You've always been the one that got away. I found that alluring."

Now that headache was turning to rage. Luz had met guys like this, thugs who thought they were all that, and that it gave them the right to do what they wanted when they wanted to, no matter who they hurt. And they didn't take no for an answer, at least not without being forced. Like hell she was staying quiet. "I hate everything your saying right now." And of course, Wrath lashed a tentacle at her.

"You stay out of this!" The sheer hate in his voice actually gave Luz pause for a moment, then she started wiggling again, albeit less blatantly. "So how about it Owl Lady? The most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles and the feared Warden Wrath. We'd be the strongest power couple ever. I mean it's- it's not like you can refuse right now." With that said, his guards tightened their grips on Luz and King. To his entirely well reasoned argument, Eda responded with a raspberry to the face. At his exclamation of disgust, and his guards gasps of shock, Eda busted up laughing. "Impudent wench! Don't you have any idea how many germs are in your mouth!?" Yeesh, this guy was a germaphobe too? What a piece of work.

"Get over it! You had your guards stalk me, and then you cut off my head! I am never going out with you."

Wrath gave an ominous growl at that. "Well then, if you don't accept, I will have no choice but to-" With a heavy thunk, Wrath pitched forward, his guards scrambling to help him. As Luz and the others made their escape, Wrath eventually cornered them, spewing fire.

Moaning in pain, Luz blinkingly took in the sight of Eda and King, battered and bruised, but alive, Wrath and his guards in the background, and closing fast. Eda turned to Luz, a pensive look on her face. With a sigh, she tossed the key and her staff to Luz. "Luz... go back to the human world." Luz had to respond to that. "What about you guys?"

King turned to her, a loopy cheerfulness present as he said, "If you think this guy is bad, you shoulda seen her last boyfriend!" "Not my boyfriend! Luz, go. GO!" As Eda turned back to Wrath, she gave one last call to Luz, now situated on the staff, feeling lost, helpless. "But-B-but you, but I-"

With a hoot, the staff started to life, taking off into the sky soaring off before landing in the tower, coincidentally in front of the same trio of prisoners Luz had met earlier. Looking over them, Luz gasped as she realized that the cells were open. "Why are you guys just standing here? This is your chance to escape!" Luz couldn't understand it. No one could be so hopeless that they wouldn't even try, right?

"The warden will catch us. He always does." "We belong here." "Self-doubt is a pwison you can never escape fwom."

As Luz looked on at the despondent prisoners, she knew two things. First, they had had every drop of hope rung out of them until they couldn't even feel it anymore. Second, she was going to put an end to this. NOW. With that and mind, she stepped up, and started talking. "So, you have a different way of doing things, a different way of seeing things. That might make you weird, but it also makes you amazing! Don't you see that?"

"Why are you helping us?"

Luz knew just what to say to that. "'Cause us weirdos need to stick together." She jumped back onto Eda's staff. "And nobody should be punished for being who they are! ARE YOU WITH ME?!!" The loud passionate cheering lit a warm glow in her heart, as did the hope burning in their eyes. "Now, let's get 'em!"

* * *

Eda was hurting. That wasn't unusual, she got into trouble often enough that she used to it, but she usually also had a convenient escape set up. She let out a biting chuckle. "At least the kid got free." As Wrath stalked closer, flame building in his jaws, she closed her eyes, bracing for the pain as King huddled up against her. Wrath's yell of pain was not what she had been expecting. As she opened her eyes, she took in the sight before her. Three prisoners, all baring fierce expressions of defiance, wrestling the titanic figure of Wrath to the ground, Luz floating in the air behind them, arms held wide.

"I write fanfiction!" "I eat my own eyes!" "I think the universe is a twiangle!" """AND WE ARE DONE BEING AFRAID OF YOU!!"""

Ahh, it did Eda's heart good to see the seeds of rebellion bloom. Now, if only she could figure out what Luz was up to. "Eda?" "Yeah King?" "Humans can't use magic, right?" Eda shot King a look at that. "Duh, King that's magic one-oh-one!" The unimpressed look King sent her was enough to get her hackles up. "What!?"

"Than what's Luz doing right now?" Doing what now. As Eda turned to look at Luz again, she saw something that would forever be burned into her memory. A magic circle. A human, Luz, was drawing a magic circle!! But it was different from any she had ever seen before. For starters, the thing was totally clear, the only reason she could see it was due to the fact it was glowing. For second, it had two squares layered over top one another to form an eight-pointed star set in the center. _'Damn kid. Just who are you?'_ Eda wasn't easily impressed, but what she was seeing was impressive, no doubt about it.

"EVERYBODY!! STAND CLEAR!" With that shout, the prisoners leapt back. "WARDEN WRATH, YOU HAVE TORMENTED THESE INNOCENTS FOR LONG ENOUGH! FOR I AM LUZ NOCEDA, APPRENTICE MAGI, AND WARRIOR OF PEACE. NOW EAT THIS SUCKA!! SHINING FORTISSIMO!!" A fancy name for what was actually a pretty simple spell. A super-sized ball of light came roaring down on Wrath, and when the dust settled, Wrath was being carted off into the prison by his guards, badly scorched. Okay, Eda had some questions for that kid.

*YAWN*

Tomorrow. She had questions for that kid tomorrow. For now, she just wanted to head back to the Owl House, curl up in her nest, and put this whole mess behind her. And hey, she got an awesome roommate out of the deal, so what's the worst that could happen? For some reason, she had the strangest feeling someone was laughing at her.

**Author's Note:**

> So, what'd you all think? Feel free to comment as you see fit!


End file.
